Display carrying unit for color telephone sets



Oct. 13, 1959 H. a. TURNER 2,903,332

DISPLAY CARRYING UNIT FOR COLOR TELEPHONE SETS Filed Dec. 5. 1957 3Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS 2,908,382 DISPLAY CARRYING UNIT FORCOLOR TELEPHONE SETS Filed Dec. 5, "1957 H. G. TURNER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2IIIII I III III I Edl v H II II II II II II II II II I.-

- INVENTOR BY I Wu Ms ATTORNEYS Oct. 13, 1959 H. G. TURNER 2,908,382

DISPLAY CARRYING UNIT FOR COLOR TELEPHONE SETS Filed Dec. 5, 1957 n 3Sheets-Sheet 3 Q INVENTOR ATTORNEYS United States Patent DISPLAYCARRYING UNIT FOR COLO TELEPHONE SETS Henry G. Turner, Atlanta, Ga.,assignor to American Telephone and Telegraph Company, New York, N.Y., acorporation of New York Application December '5, 1957, Serial No.700,795

13 Claims. (Cl. 206-4519) This invention relates to a display carryingunit particularly designed for carrying and displaying color telephonesets, but having structural features, both sole and correlated thatadapt the invention to versatile use.

The main object of the invention is to provide a display carrying unitcomprising a shallow tray of light material such as sheet plastic havinga medial longitudinal reinforcement throughout its length, havingrecesses in the bottom of the tray for receiving and allocating thearticles displayed, telephone sets in the illustrated embodiment, andhaving a cover transparent throughout, through which the telephone setsmay be fully viewed from any and all angles.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a display carryingunit, as described, provided with a carrying strap anchored at its endssolely to the medial reinforcement so that the plastic material of thetray is relieved from localized concentration of the weight of thesuspended unit.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a displaycarrying unit as described, in which the tray is formed of relativelyinverted pressed plastic pans with their surrounding flanged sideslapping and secured, and wells in the floor of the set allocatingrecesses for receiving feet projecting from the bottom of the sets, theunder pan having inwardly embossed projections registering contiguouslywith the bottoms of the wells for reinforcing the load bearing regionsof the tray.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a compositetray as described, the lower pan having an inwardly embossed ribextending throughout the length of the tray, including the flangedsides, the inner or male side of the rib being in reinforcing contactwith the floors of the set receiving depressions and the under or femaleside of said rib being adapted to overlie a complementary elongatedmember extending along a supporting shelf in a truck to preventdisplacement of the display carrying unit while the latter is beingtransported.

Other objects of the invention will appear as the following descriptionof a preferred and practical embodiment thereof proceeds.

In the drawings which accompany and form a part of the followingspecification, and throughout the figures of which the same charactersof reference have been employed to denote identical parts:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a display carrying unit embodying theprinciples of the invention;

Figure 2 is a cross-section taken along the line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal vertical section taken along the line 33 ofFigure 2;

Figure 4 is a plan view of the complete display carrying unit;

Figure 5' is a plan view of the lower component of the tray of thecarrying unit;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary cross-section taken along the line 6-6 ofFigure l, show-ing latching means for the cover;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the under member of the reinforcingbar;

Figure 8 is a fragmentary view in section, taken along the line 88 ofFigure 2.

Referring now in detail to the several figures, and particularly toFigure 1, the display carrying unit comprises three principal parts, thetray 1, upon which the telephone sets are carried and retained, thetransparent cover 2, and the carrying strap 3, which is attached atopposite ends to the tray. In the illustrative embodiment of theinvention, the display carrying unit is designed for the display ofcolor telephone sets, carried by the tray and visible through the cover.The display carrying unit is designed to be transported in theconventional repair truck of the telephone company, to be carried intothe residence where a repair is to be made and left by the repairmanwhile he is making the repair, in a position where its contents will benoticed by the. members of the household, particularly those of thedistaif side, who it is presumed will be attracted by the display andbecome desirous of purchasing a color phone set. The repairman uponleaving, may be expected to clinch the sale by simply inquiring which ofthe telephone sets the member of the household addressed has selected.

It is essential in the design of such a display carrying unit that it beso constructed as to cooperate with means on the truck to prevent itsshifting and falling while in transporting; it must maintain thetelephone sets properly positioned in the tray, regardless of vibrationand jolting of the truck; it must be light in weight so as to add butlittle to the weight of the telephone sets, for the convenience of therepairman. Notwithstanding its lightness, it must be sufficiently rigidand strong to support the weight of the telephone sets without saggingor material deterioration through long usage, and it must be soconstructed as to display the telephone sets substantially in theirentirety, and from all angles and without the interference of spuriousreflections from the surface of the cover. All of these desirablequalifications find expression in the structural features of theinvention.

In the interest of lightness, the tray portion of the display carryingunit is formed of thin plastic in sheet form, either molded or pressedto the desired configuration. Said tray portion is of compositestructure, comprising upper and under components, the upper component 4,which may be considered the floor of the tray, being of pan-like form inthat it has a surrounding flange 5. The under part 6 is also of pan-likeform, having the surrounding flange 7 which makes a telescopic fitwithin the flange 5. The two flanges in telescoped relation are adheredto one another by any suitable adhesive which may be a solvent for theplastic of which the respective components are made. Thus, thecomponents are permanently united to form a tray. This uniting is, ofcourse, the final step in the fabrication of the tray. The uppercomponent 4 is provided with generally rectangular recesses 8, 9 and 10,into which the generally rectangular bases of the telephone sets freelyfit. Since table sets have downwardly projecting feet at their corners,the recesses 8 and 10 which are for sets of this type have complementaryfoot receiving depressions 11 in each corner. The central recess 9 isfor a sole phone set which has no supporting feet, and therefore, thecentral recess is without such corner depressions.

Inherently, due to its thinness, the upper component 4 is by itselfquite readily distorted under small stress, and requires to bereinforced in order to gain rigidity.

The plastic part of the .under component 6 is also by itself inherentlysomewhat flexible. It is strengthened by a rigid medially locatedlongitudinal reinforcement member consisting of a strap 12, seated in acomplethe component 6 and a channel member 14 on the inside congrnentlyarranged with respect to said strap, between which the plastic portionof. said under component is clamped by rivets 15 extending throughthebottom of said trough. The strap and channel member are preferably'ofaluminum, in the interest of lightness, and the strap member extendsbeyond the ends of the channel member on the outside of the undercomponent, forming ears 16 which are perforated for the reception of thesnaps at the ends of the carrying strap 3.

The under component 6 of the tray is embossed with inwardly extendingprojections 17, the pattern of arrangement of which is such that theflat upper ends 18 register contiguously with the bottoms of thedepressions 11. The depth dimension of the projections 18 give themgreat rigidity, so that they reinforce the bottoms of the depressions18.which directly bear the weight of the telephone sets. f The undercomponent 6 is further reinforced by the inwardly embossed rib 19, whichextends the entire length of said under component, including the flangedsides thereof, and forms on the under side of said component an openended channel 20. The shelf of the truck which transports the displaycarrying unit, and none of which is shown, is provided with fixed meanssuch as a rod, the display carrying unit being placed on the shelf withthe channel 20 embracing the rod so as to retain the carrying unit inplace on the shelf, the weight of the telephone sets therein containedholding it down so that it is not displaced by vibrations of thevehicle. Shorter embossed ribs 21 at opposite sides of the carrying unitextend inwardly and make contact with the bottom of the middle recess 9,reinforcing it with respect to the weight of the telephone set which ispositioned in said recess. It is unessential that the contactingsurfaces of the bosses 18, ribs 19 and 21, be adhered to the surfaceswith which they are contiguous, since the extent of lap of the flangesand 7 of the respective tray components is such as to hold said surfacesin contact.

The tray is provided with a surrounding rabbet 22, Figure 1, defining anupwardly facing shoulder 23. The transparent cover 2 fits in this rabbetso as to rest upon said shoulder. The cover is secured by hinges 24 atone side of the tray, riveted to the plastic, while at the opposite sidea spaced pair of fasteners is employed, each fastener comprising asocket member 25 riveted to the plastic, having a downwardly facingsocket 26. The upper component 4 of the tray is provided withcomplementary fastening means consisting of a ball 27 for each socket,adapted to enter frictionally therein, said'balls being at the head ofstems 28 which are bolted :or otherwise anchored to small blocks 29 ofsuitable material such as wood, cemented or otherwise secured to theplastic within said upper component. On its forward side, that is tosay, on the side which carries the fastening means, the tray is providedin both components with recesses 30 formed in both components thereof,and underlying the edge of the lid 3. The lower walls of said recessesprovide a fulcrum for the fingers, or one of them, while the thumb ispressed upward against the edge of the cover for releasing the ballsfrom the sockets.

The latter, it will be noted, are slightly flared in a direction towardthe mouth, to allow for the arcuate movement of the cover. It is obviousthat other fastening means for the cover maybe substituted asequivalents for those shown. Y a

The cover 3 may be of any suitable transparent plastic, and is molded tothe shape shown, which shape has reference to the contained telephonesets. With respect to the table type sets, the side containing the dialslopes moree .gradually than the side formed with the cradle, sorespectto the part of the cover which overlies the recesses 8 and 10,the front areas Stand 32 have a more gradual slope than the surfaces 33and 34- to the rear of them. With respect to the wall phone, the upperend which carries the hook is higher than the opposite end, and theentire height of the set is greater than that of the adjacent sets, sothat the middle part of the cover is accordingly more elevated. Greatcare has been taken in the design of the cover to avoid sharp edges forcorners and intersecting planiform faces which would give totalreflection of light in certain aspects and interfere with clear viewingof the telephone sets enclosed beneath it. Consequently, the sets may beclearly viewed through the cover practically in their entirety, and fromevery angle. The carrying strap is of such length that when the displaycarrying unit has been set down, the strap may be readily tiltedsidewise to a position in which it is entirely clear of the cover anddoes not obstruct complete viewing.

. While I have in the above invention disclosed apractical embodimentthereof, it will be understood that the inventive principles as hereinset forth are equally applicable to an embodiment which holds three ormore telephone sets in which the wall set maybe at the end instead of inan intermediate position as shown. In this case, the bulge in the coverwould not be in an intermediate position.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changesmay be made in the arrangement and construction of the parts and stillbe within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What I claim is:

1. Display carrying unit comprising a composite tray including upper andunder substantially coextensive components, each formed with asurrounding flange, said flanges contiguously lapped and being securedtogether, said upper component being inwardly embossed with recessesformed to fit the base of articles which said unit is designed todisplay, said under component being embossed inwardly with projectionsreinforcingly contacting the bottoms of said recesses, and beingembossed inwardly to form an exterior flat bottomed trough throughoutits length, a rigid strap within said trough against the bottom thereofextending therebeyond at both ends forming ears for attachment of acarrying bail, a rigid bar of channel cross-section engaging theopposite face of the bottom of said trough and means for securingtogether said strap and bar.

2. Display carrying unit as claimed in claim 1, said tray being formedwith a peripheral rabbet about its upper edge, a transparent domed coverfor said tray having its edges seated in said rabbet, being hinged toone side of said tray and means for latching it at the opposite side ofsaid tray.

3. Display carrying unit comprising a composite tray including upper andunder substantially coextensive components, each formed with asurrounding flange, said flanges contiguously lapped and being securedtogether, said upper component being inwardly embossed with recessesformed to freely fit the base of articles which said unit is designed todisplay, the bases of which articles have supporting feet, and thebottoms of said recesses formed with depressions to receive said feet,said under component being embossed inwardly with projectionsreinforcingly contacting the bottoms of said depressions, said undercomponent being embossed inwardly to form an exterior trough throughoutits length, a rigidstrap positioned within said trough against thebottom thereof and extending therebeyond at both ends, a rigid bar ofchannel cross-section engaging the opposite face of the bottom of saidtrough and means for securing together said strap and bar. 1

4. Display carrying unit comprising a compositetray including upper andunder substantially coextensive components, each formed with asurrounding flange, said flanges contiguously lapped and being securedtogether, said upper component being inwardly embossed .with re"- cessesformed to freely fit the base of articles which said unit is designed todisplay, the bases of which articles have supporting feet, the bottomsof said recesses-including flat bottomed depressions to receive saidfeet, said under component being embossed inwardly with flat toppedprojections reinforcingly contacting the bottoms of said depressions,said under component being embossed inwardly to form an exterior flatbottomed trough throughout its length, a rigid strap within said troughagainst the bottom thereof extending therebeyond at both ends formingears for attachment of a carrying bail, a rigid bar of channelcross-section engaging the opposite face of the bottom of said troughand means for securing together said strap and bar.

5. Display carrying unit as claimed in claim 4, said tray being formedwith a peripheral rabbet about its upper edge, and a transparent domedcover for said tray having its edges seated in said rabbet, being hingedat one side of said tray and latching means for said cover at theopposite side of said tray.

6. Display carrying unit comprising a composite tray including upper andunder substantially coextensive components, each formed with asurrounding flange, said flanges contiguously lapped and being securedtogether, said upper component being inwardly embossed with a series ofrecesses formed to fit the base of telephone sets at least some of whichhave supporting feet on their bases, the bottoms of certain of saidrecesses being formed with depressions to receive said feet, said undercomponent being embossed inwardly with projections reinforcinglycontacting the bottoms of said depressions, said under component beingembossed inwardly to form an exterior flat bottomed trough throughoutits length, a rigid strap within said trough against the bottom thereof,a rigid bar of channel cross-section engaging the opposite face of thebottom of said trough and means for securing together said strap andbar.

7. Display carrying unit comprising a composite tray including upper andunder substantially coextensive components, each formed with asurrounding flange, said components being formed of relatively thinplastic inherently shape-yielding under normal load, said flanges beingcontiguously lapped and secured together, said upper component beinginwardly embossed with recesses formed to freely fit the base ofarticles which said unit is designed to display, and said undercomponent being embossed inwardly with projections reinforcinglyengaging the bottoms of said recesses, a rigid reinforcing bar carriedmedially and longitudinally by said under component between saidcomponents, extending substantially the full length of said tray andcontacting the bottoms of said recesses.

8. Display carrying unit comprising a composite tray including upper andlower substantially coextensive components, each formed with asurrounding flange, said flanges being contiguously lapped and securedtogether, said upper component being inwardly embossed with a series ofrecesses shaped to freely fit the bases of telephone sets, certain ofsaid recesses, less than the entire number of recesses, beingprovidedwith foot receiving depressions, said under component being inwardlyembossed with projections positioned to reinforcingly engage the bottomsof said depressions, a rigid bar carried medially and longitudinally bysaid under component between said components, extending substantiallythe full length of said tray and engaging the bottoms of all saidrecesses, said tray being formed with a peripheral rabbet about itsupper edge, a transparent domed cover for said tray having its edgesseated in said rabbet, said cover having a bulged portion above one ofsaid recesses.

9. Display carrying unit as claimed in claim 8, said under componentbeing inwardly embossed to form a rib in supporting engagement with thebottoms of said recesses, defining an exterior channel extendinglengthwise of said tray adapted to interengage a supporting rodextraneous to said display unit.

10. Display carrying unit comprising a composite tray including upperand lower substantially coextensive components, each formed with asurrounding flange, said flanges being contiguously lapped and securedtogether, said upper component being inwardly embossed with a series ofrecesses shaped to freely fit the bases of tele phone sets, a pluralityof said recesses being for table type sets the bases of which have feet,and having foot receiving depressions, one of said recesses being for afootless, wall type set, and having no foot depressions, said undercomponent being inwardly embossed with projections which reinforce andengage the bottoms of said depressions, a medial reinforcing strapcarried exteriorly by said under component, extending throughout thelength of said tray and beyond at both ends, terminating in ears forattachment of a suspending bail, a rigid bar carried interiorly by saidunder component, means for securing together said strap and bar, thelatter being in reinforcing engagement with said recesses, and atransparent domed cover for said tray formed with a bulge overlying thedepressionless recess.

11. Display carrying unit as claimed in claim 10, said tray beingprovided with a peripheral rabbet about its upper edge in which thelower edge of said cover seats, said cover being characterized by theabsence of angular ridges in its contour and by having the base of thebulge merging eurvilinearly with the adjacent surface of the cover.

12. Display carrying unit comprising a composite tray including upperand under substantially coextensive components, each formed with asurrounding flange, said flanges being contiguously lapped and beingsecured together, said upper component being molded so as to be inwardlyembossed with recesses formed to fit the base of articles which saidunit is designed to display, said under component being embossedinwardly with projections reinforcingly contacting the bottoms of saidrecesses and being inwardly embossed to form an exterior fiat bottomedtrough throughout its length, said tray being formed with a peripheralrabbet about its upper edge, a transparent domed cover for said trayhaving its edges seated in said rabbet, said cover being hinged to oneside of said tray, and means for latching said cover at the oppositeside of said tray.

13. Display carrying unit comprising a composite tray including upperand under substantially coextensive components, each formed with asurrounding flange, said flanges being contiguously lapped and beingsecured together, said upper component being molded so as to be inwardlyembossed with recesses formed to freely fit the base of articles whichsaid unit is designed to display, the bases of which articles havesupporting feet, the bottoms of said recesses being formed withdepressions to receive said feet, said under component being embossedinwardly withprojections reinforcingly contacting the bottoms of saiddepressions and being inwardly embossed to form an exterior flatbottomed trough throughout its length, said tray being formed wtih aperipheral rabbet about its upper edge, a transparent domed cover forsaid tray having its edges seated in said rabbet, said cover beinghinged to one side of said tray, and means for latching said cover atthe opposite side of said tray.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,324,669 Harris Dec. 9, 1919 1,770,534 Shields July 15, 1930 2,563,157Castelli Aug. 7, 1951 2,602,619 McIntyre July 8, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS224,748 Great Britain Nov. 20, 1924

